I’d avoided Paris since I was twenty-four, when a night of too many beers ended with me peeing a hotel’s feather bed. It seemed like the sort of city that deserved a better memory than that. Nearly thirty years later, Paris finally got its revenge. I don’t speak a word of French. When I get nervous, I sometimes default to bad Spanish. Still, everyone was kind. The city opened itself up to me in a way I hadn’t expected. Then, somewhere between the museums, cafés, and wrong tur

Can you have a weekend that was both fun and profound? Emotional yet giddy? Dirty hot while tender? Is it possible to see your hometown through brand new eyes, uncovering that city’s secrets with surprise and awe? Turns out you can. When you’re a lucky man like me, a man who’s been able to extend that guileless magic found in Paris and bring it to LA, well, I guess anything is possible.